1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to therapeutic devices. In particular, it relates to a light therapy system which exposes the patient to a series of light frequencies, with each frequency applied to a patient for a particular time period and to a particular location on the patient's body.
2. Background
It is well-known in a variety of medical fields that light therapy can provide many therapeutic effects. For example, ultraviolet light has been used for the treatment of skin disorders such as psoriasis. Laser light has been used to treat wounds, to assist in the rapid healing of post surgical incisions, and has been found, along with non-coherent light, useful in the treatment of conditions such as alopecia. In addition, fluorescent lights are used to treat newborn infants exhibiting signs of jaundice.
It has been found that the application of light can stimulate natural processes within the body. For example, the application of light to the scalp can produce a variety of therapeutic results. There has been, for example, a substantial amount of research done on the use of laser energy to stimulate the bodies natural processes to heal wounds, apply skin therapy, etc. The advantage of using the coherent light of a laser is that coherent light tends to concentrate power such that a greater effect can result from the application of a particular energy level. However, non-coherent light will also produce therapeutic and healing results when applied to a patient. It only differs from coherent light in the sense that its energy is not concentrated in the form of laser beam.
Lasers have been widely used in the application light to the surface of a patient's body. In the case of lasers, low-power lasers may be used in a variety of therapeutic applications. For example, low-power lasers are used widely for a variety of cosmetic applications such as skin care, scar reduction, wound healing and the like. One of several factors associated with the use of lasers is that laser treatments tend to increase skin blood circulation. In fact, studies have shown that the application of laser energy to the skin of a user can increase skin blood circulation by more than fifty percent without significant changes in skin temperature. This results in the skin receiving a more abundant supply of nutrients, and in turn, the structures in the skin also receive a more abundant supply of nutrients and necessary materials from the body. Further, microscopic studies have shown laser energy increases circulation and oxygenation of the blood to the skin, and also increases cell replacement or regenerative activity. These factors help the skin to remain in a healthy condition. Research on the use of cold beam lasers indicates that application of a cold beam laser to an individual's scalp will normalize metabolism of tissues, improve trophism (blood cell nutrition), and assure a regular sebaceous secretion.
Another factor associated with the use of light therapy is “energization.” Energization can be explained as follows: Light is energy. The application of high levels of light to the skin provides energy which is used by the cells in the skin to assist in the normal chemical processes performed by those cells. The scientifically agreed-upon term for this is photobiostimulation. The most common example of light converting into chemical energy is photosynthesis, where plants are fed via light converted into chemical energy. In a similar way, light penetrates into soft tissue and increases the action of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that is a major carrier of energy from one reaction site to another in all living cells. By doing so, light increases the energy available to cells so they take in nutrients faster and get rid of waste products. Because of this benefit, scientists and physicians have been using low level laser devices over the past 30 years to accelerate wound healing and regenerate tissue.
It has also been found that stimulation of the skin using non-coherent light also produces beneficial results. In particular, non-coherent light will stimulate the skin such that the ability of the skin to nourish and regenerate itself is enhanced in the same manner as was done by the laser. As can be seen, light therapy has been used to improve a variety of physical conditions. Further, different frequencies of light have been shown to have varying effects of the body.
While laser devices produce more concentrated energy, they are also limited due to their very narrow frequency bandwidth. Non-coherent light has an advantage over lasers in that it provides a broad-spectrum of light energy for use by the patient's body. The broader frequency range maximizes the stimulation of the skin tissue.
Currently available devices tend to be narrow in scope. For example, low power laser devices are typically used for localized wound treatment, or for scalp treatments to improve hair growth. In addition to laser devices, variety of other light generation devices are used to promote health. For example, infrared lamps are used to treat an extended area of surface tissue with both heat and light, LEDs are used to project pulsed light onto a patient to increase immunity, ultraviolet lamps are used to apply UV light to an individual's scalp to promote hair growth, etc. While the prior art has provided these devices or treatment of localized areas of an individual's body, it would be desirable to have a device capable of treating and rejuvenating the entire body.